What are your reflections on the Reading defeat after a few days?

I was quite pleased, dare I say it! I was disappointed of course with the result, because the result is the be-all and end-all. But, I thought we made them look very, very average with our quality build up. I thought we nullified the game well and silenced the home crowd in the first 15 minutes.

We took the punch on the nose and then we upped our game a little bit and responded really well twice. We’re creating a lot of chances, getting a lot of shots off on goal, which is good and for whatever reason, the goalkeepers in the last two games in particular are putting in Man of the Match performances and that’s probably a bit of a counter balance between can our finishing be better – yes and obviously goalkeepers playing very well.

We talk about expected goals and quality of chances, and there are statistics to show that we’re performing well and we need a bit of luck.

I think we’ve hit the woodwork ten times so far this season, I think that our expected goals are in the top six or seven which is good and I believe truly, that if you continue along that path, with a new team let’s not forget, with eight new players in that team and evolving all the time, we’ll continue to improve and of course we’ll get results that we want, to go on another run of four or five wins on the spin.

Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson speaks to the media (Image: Rogan/JMP)

Do you feel that City maybe haven’t had the results they’ve quite deserved so far this season?

I think there’s probably a lot of people in the division who would say that. You’re really conscious and have to be a master of language now as a manager or head coach because you’re really conscious not to make anything sound like excuses and a season over 46 games will inevitably even itself out.

But, I do feel that we’ve just had a little run of either not taking our chances when we should have done, a couple of refereeing decisions such as the Sheffield Wednesday one, the penalty against Reading which is a definite penalty.

We get feedback from the referees and the MOAS structure, where they report back and at that point admit whether they’ve made a mistake or not, in which they’ve made three mistakes that are at key points in the last three games. Matty Taylor’s goal was onside against Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday’s offside first goal was very important and then the penalty that could have put us 2-1 into the lead at Reading.

Yes, there is a lot of football to play, but that coincided with the chances that I think have shown we’re very competitive in the division and in my eyes, it is only a matter of time before we start putting a decent run together.

To clarify, the referees have actually said that they may have made some wrong decisions?

The process is that they have a review of key match decisions. You give your report and a scoring for the referees and the assistant referees and then they will ask you for key match decisions and obviously, if there’s a goal or a penalty, that’ll be assessed.

We’ll have to provide video footage and then the assessor will write a report on what he saw on the day, and then the video footage will be studied. We do that for a number of reasons; one is because we believe it is a very difficult job for the referees to be able to live up to the speed without VAR in the game yet, so we try and help to educate.

We’ve got a full time sector now in the Championship and they’re often having case studies around certain decisions in conferences.

We like to help with that and provide for that. Then, they do have a justice league which sort of goes out secretly, so you can see whether you've been on the wrong end, because you can also be on the right end of bad decisions. We can all moan about the bad ones, but it might be that we’ve had three bad ones and three good ones in our favour and that hopefully is the bit that evens itself out over the season.

Obviously, the other thing is for the players to make sure that we coach correctly, because if the rule changes, for example the Sheffield Wednesday game, my point to the referees was ‘what do you want me to coach my centre-halves then?’

Adam Webster of Bristol City is caught by the high foot of John O'Shea of Reading inside the penalty area (Image: Rogan Thomson/JMP)

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We work on squeezing up and following the lines of the ball. But if you’re telling me if the striker stays offside and then the ball is put behind us and he scores, like he did, then I can’t tell my defenders to squeeze up.

And, I should be telling my strikers to be lazy and not get back onside as quickly as possible because they’re part of the process in us clearing the ball behind their line and going through and scoring.

So, the important part is for my players and that total understanding of the phases, the second phases and that was my point for the Sheffield Wednesday goal. There was a huge debate about that one, we looked at loads of different angles, we had the monitor in and the words that were said via the referees’ intercom, and obviously we were right. It was a poor decision on the day.

Where does the club sit in that justice league [that the referees measure] at the moment?

They don’t publish that until the end of the season, so normally it’s almost like challenges in tennis; which challenges were correct and which weren’t and often, we don’t challenge unless we know really, because there’s no point.

We’re there to help, we’re not there to frustrate, but Webby’s [Adam Webster] was a good example on Saturday.

He wins a header and directs it towards goal but gets a karate kick in the jugular and it’s a foul anywhere on the pitch. We didn’t get it and that’s the type of thing that if it goes for you, suddenly you’re 2-1 up in a game and controlling it.

I text the players after the game with those statistics, saying 'look, keep believing, keep the faith because you’re not a million miles away'.

How’s Jack Hunt after coming off early in the Reading Game?

Jack Hunt sustained an injury in training before the Reading game. I think it was the Wednesday session and what he’s done is that from his sixth or seventh rib, he’s pulled the muscle away from the bone a little bit. So, the fibres have obviously come apart.

What happened was, he was alright and then he had a slide tackle or a last ditch where he stretched a little bit, or overstretched and felt it.

It was a case of we’re going for the game, we didn’t need anybody that wasn’t 100% on the pitch, we may as well go a little bit gung-ho here.

Jack Hunt of Bristol City (Image: Ryan Hiscott/JMP)

But he’s alright, we gave him a couple of days off to let it heal and let the healing process fully take into account. We dosed him up with some anti-inflammatories and the stuff that he needs and he trained today no problem.

Any chance that Hakeeb Adelakun, Frank Fielding or Bailey Wright could be involved at the weekend?

Hakeeb yes, he’s a possibility for sure. He’s probably not lung capacity wise in the perfect place, but obviously as an impact player potentially, he could definitely have fifteen minutes for example and potentially affect the game.

Bailey Wright no, he still hasn’t trained yet with the squad and Frankie Fielding is slowly but very, very slowly recovering. So, at the moment, neither Bailey nor Frankie are in our thoughts.

Korey Smith signed a new deal this week and that's brilliant isn't it?

It's brilliant and it's often a really awkward situation [with Korey being injured but out of contract at the end of the season] and credit should go to the board and Mark Ashton for that one because they’ve done the right thing. You've got an injured player but one who has put his body on the line for this football club and has created some great moments for Bristol City.

I think what message are we sending out if we don’t give Korey his extension? He’s got a value because he's a big player for our squad and it settles him and his his family and hopefully when he’s back fit and flying he’ll have that back in the pit of his stomach and wanting do well as he’s always done and know that the club have done the right thing by him.

On Korey, he's only renewed for another year. As has been mentioned by the club before, there are often one year option deals on the club's side in new player contracts. Is that the case here?

I don't think that's the case on this one. Really the way to look at Korey's new deal is that Korey sustained a bad injury. What we're doing here is saying a) we believe in you; and b) we respect you so at that point he can earn a new contract but what this does is give him and his family a financial security.

It enables him to not have to chase the injury as a player might be thinking about his future as he goes into the last six months of his contract, when he’ll be back - which will be January.

And we need to make the right decisions for his long term health but also Bristol City's long-term future. By signing Korey we're saying we see him as a part of that.

But it doesn't mean that 10 days into his return he won't get a new contract. He might might extend that and obviously Korey will have that in his mind as well and it gives him that bit between his teeth if he wants to stay or indeed if he wants to play his way away, but hopefully he wants to stay but to go and fight and knowing that the club have looked after him in a way that they didn't have to.

Are Matty Taylor and Callum O'Dowda next on the menu to hopefully be tied down on new deals?

Well Matty Taylor's got an option, hasn't he? So look, I wouldn't talk out of turn on that one, but of course the discussions go on.

And Callum O'Dowda we've been discussing for a while the option of a new contract and that’s something for me that I’d like to get nailed down as quickly as possible because I believe that Callum’s got huge potential.

I’m probably the biggest believer of Callum’s potential but I don’t think he’s hit the heights yet this season. Probably his best spell was that four or five games last season before his injury.

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He's a great lad. And if there's anyone you're willing to do well, it's Cal, because of his attitude and the way he trains.

We work with Cal every day and we're working to make sure he gets back in the team. He was actually ill today so we'll have to give him a text to see how he is because he hasn't been feeling very well.

Callum O'Dowda of Bristol City contends for the aerial ball with Todd Kane of Hull City and Jamie Paterson (Image: Ryan Hiscott/JMP)

And then hold the place. It's tough though and there's a lot of competition. Sometimes it can be a difficult thing to have too many players. And we've had a big run of injuries but now the players are coming back, which is great but it's not always easy to keep everybody happy.

Moving on to the game against Preston: City are due a win...

Cor, talk about a bogey team. Preston are the absolute, but they're a good side. I think now they're six unbeaten. Obviously I had Ben Pearson before, really good player, quick and technically good and it'll be a challenge for our midfield depending on whether they play Gallagher, Johnson or Brown - one of the best midfields.

Maybe they'll be a bit disappointed with their points return given the quality of their squad but it shows that you get your best players fit - like they've had in the last six or so games - that they've gone six unbeaten: two wins and four draws.

For City it's just one game a week currently with no Carabao Cup run. Has that given you the chance to get out and scout a few players?

Yes. Listen, we've always got our eye on the future and what we can bring in. Whether that's in terms of trade or development but it also gives me the chance to get out there and see some of our own players who are out there on loan.

Like Tuesday last week for example I went to Weston-super-Mare vs Torquay where there were four players on the pitch who were Bristol City players and they all did very well.

And I enjoy that. I think it's important that the players know that the manager's keeping tabs on them because it can be 'out of sight, out of mind' but between Brian and myself it's important that we make those young players believe that there's a pathway - if they're good enough to get into our first team.

Bristol City released their financial accounts last week. Does that go to show how tough the Championship is and the good financial support of the Lansdown family yet again?

Yes, absolutely. And personally I've got massive respect for that and I think it shows that it's a really tough division to compete in. It is expensive.

I also think that the assets created we have to respect. It's really important but you'd expect next year's results to look a lot different due to the sales of players and that's a good thing for the football club.

We're trying to move towards sustainability and to be honest we're not a million miles off with what we've got coming through. And even if players aren't potentially good enough for Bristol City's first team then you could have 20-30 players playing league football that have come through the Bristol City academy that you've got a slice of if they ever hook onto the top level.

I think there's a lot of work like that going on behind the scenes - listen, do people care about that? Probably not but it's also important in the way that we're trying to go and those objectives that are set at the top.

Why are Preston such a bogey team? Why are they so hard to beat?

As far as I'm concerned this is a new day and a new game. You don't go into the game thinking well this is our bogey side. You go into the game evaluating the opposition's strengths and weaknesses and doing your best to impose your strengths on their weaknesses.

And doing your best to nullify their threats. But I do think they have quality. They recruit well, pretty much British players capable of playing in the Championship. They know their market and they've done well.

Last year they finished, what seventh or eighth, lost Jordan Hugill who was probably a big loss for them and any team who loses key players is going to take time to adjust and that's why it's an important game.

For us to push points between us and them at this stage, being a good side that they are, would be very big for us.

City are 12th and a win would push you so much closer to the play-offs. It's so close isn't it?

Well that's why the result last week was so frustrating. Because where we are if we'd have won that game or got a point even that would have been right for about where we are.

So the frustration felt was that we were the better side and we lost and again my message to the players is keep the faith and keep the belief because a lot of elements to our play have been very, very good.

And it's an adjustment from last year and an improvement, by the way.

Yes the dynamic has changed but because the personnel have changed and we have different strengths to last year.

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Bristol City v Preston - Preview

And we want to evolve and we want to be a little bit more direct at times and it's Catch 22 because we've got so much quality at the back and we don't want to be asking quality players to effectively potentially give the ball away but we do need to create more box action.

Last year we could do it with Maggy's long throw with the Icelandic Clap and you're slinging Flinty up and even if you're not playing very well and having a stinker then because you've got a box entry and the second phase to that it appears like you're putting pressure on the opposition.

But our chances have been a lot purer this year and our challenge whether it's a striker, midfielder or defender is to make sure we're a bit cleaner in our finishing.